Generate electricity: by walking A team of scientists at UK’s Cranfield University, University of Salford and University of Liverpool have developed a novel device that harvests energy from your knees while walking and converts it into electricity!
The energy can then be used to power various devices such as heart rate monitors and GPS systems. The circular cup-shaped device fits on the outside of the knee. It has an outer ring with 72 metal strings that vibrate as the person walks. These vibrations are then converted into electricity. A cost-effective version of the device that will cost about $15 is now being developed under the leadership of Cranfield University’s Dr Michele Pozzi.
The industrial designer Kyle Toole had developed another device a few years ago that produced energy not from the bending of the knee but from the energy harvested when the heel hits the ground. He used the principle that if magnetic fields are changed, an electric current can be created (Faraday’s Law). The device, called Etive, employs repelling magnets and can charge a 2000mAh lithium-ion battery in about five hours.
Fight against malaria: genetically-engineered mosquitoes Last year Prof Anthony James, a molecular biologist working at the University of California, Irvine, had genetically modified mosquitoes so that the females were born without wings. This prevented them from flying around and attacking humans in their thirst for blood. The genetically modified non-biting males are born with wings. When they mate with normal (unmodified) females, they can spread these genes to the offspring. This can drastically reduce the population of female mosquitoes that are responsible for spreading malaria.
Now the same group has carried out further genetic engineering so that the immune system of the mosquitoes has been altered (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 11, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1207738109). Parasites picked up by the mosquitoes are then attacked by the mosquitoes’ immune system so that malaria cannot be caused. It is hoped that these genetically modified mosquitoes will eventually be released and they multiply in large numbers so that they can replace the normal mosquito populations, thereby eradicating malaria from our planet.
Solar-powered umbrellas Vodafone has financed the development of a solar-powered umbrella that will not only shelter you from the rain or the sun but also provide power to your mobile phone or other devices. The umbrella has been developed by PhD students at University College London under the leadership of Dr Kenneth Tong, their supervisor in the field of antennas and microwave technology. The umbrella, known as “Booster Brolly”, has solar panels stitched on its exterior surface and a battery that is charged by the sun’s energy on its handle. A Smartphone can be charged within three hours and any excess energy can be employed to light an LED torch that is also fitted on the handle. To overcome the problem of weak signals, the umbrella can collect signals from the nearest mobile phone transmitter by using a combination of high-gain antenna and a low power signal repeater. The signal shower created as a result allows the user and nearby persons to connect to the network.
The Booster Brolly will be demonstrated at the forthcoming 2012 Isle of White Festival in June 2012.
A smart bed — that makes itself ! When you get up in the morning, a daily chore that you, your wife or a servant has to perform is to make the bed. Now a Spanish furniture company, OHEA, has made a futuristic “Smart Bed” that automatically tidies the sheet and pillows as soon as you get off the bed.
The pillows are tied by cords to a mechanism on the headboard. The sheet is stuck to the foot of the bed with Velcro and cords are also sewn to its sides. The bed is fitted with weight sensors that detect whenever you are not lying or sitting on it. There is a mechanism on the headboard that pulls the sheets straight as soon as you get off. Robotic arms remove any ruffles and the pillows are then dropped.
So if you have a Smart Bed, you need never worry again about bed making!
Cook your food — from across the world Wouldn’t it be nice if you could turn on a cooker by remote control from your office so that you are ready to have freshly-cooked food by the time you reach home. The AGA’s new electric iTotal Control Cooker does exactly that. Fitted with three separate independently-operating ovens, for roasting, baking and simmering of foods, it can be turned on remotely from anywhere in the world by a telephone message, or from a command given on a dedicated website.